STORY: New protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform have started in France. Trains were cancelled, some schools remained closed and, as here in Nantes, demonstrators set garbage cans on fire. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets against the government’s measure. And further protest measures have been announced. One of the most controversial points of the reform is raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Macron defended his plan in a television interview on Wednesday and said the changes should come into force by the end of the year. Since the plans became known, there have been repeated general strikes and demonstrations, most of which have been peaceful. However, since Macron’s government launched the reform last week through a procedural trick that bypassed a vote in parliament, resistance to the project has become more acute.